Andorra Approves Protection Zone for Church of Sant Miquel d'Engolasters

Andorra's Council of Ministers approved a decree on Wednesday establishing the protection zone around the Church of Sant Miquel d'Engolasters, a cultural asset, without changes despite seven public submissions.

The definitive decree retains the boundaries and standards outlined in last November's edict published in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA). It affects 77 properties and sets criteria for any interventions on the monument or surrounding land. The public information period, which began eight months ago, drew those seven allegations, but the government kept the original proposal intact.

The protection divides into two areas. The first, an accompaniment zone, includes parcels directly adjacent to the church or within a 20-metre radius. It applies strict measures to preserve the church's image and immediate surroundings. The second, a preventive zone, reaches beyond 20 metres to cover key visual and landscape elements framing the site. Officials aim to prevent future actions from altering the monument's perspectives, visibility, or study.

Culture Minister and government spokesperson Conxita Marsol said the decree ensures the church's long-term conservation while protecting its aesthetic, historical, and cultural values, alongside an appropriate environmental context.

This approval brings the total to 18 cultural assets in Andorra with government-defined protection perimeters. Sant Miquel d'Engolasters features in Andorra's transnational UNESCO bid with France and Spain, titled "Material Witnesses to the Construction of the Pyrenean State: the Co-Principality of Andorra." The government has prioritised delimiting monuments in this project.